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Identify the odd one out using direction position and number

In this worksheet, students will identify an image that does not fit in with the rest of the group. The focus will be on direction, position and number, so students will need to look at where shapes are, which direction they are facing, and how many there are.

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'Identify the odd one out using direction position and number' worksheet

Key stage:  KS 2

Year:  Year 5 11+ worksheets

Curriculum topic:   Spatial and Non-Verbal Reasoning

Curriculum subtopic:   Odd One Out

Difficulty level:  

Worksheet Overview

Welcome shape sorter.  

We’ve got a bit of a problem we hoped you could help us with.  

Our shape sorting robot seems to have malfunctioned and not sorted the shapes correctly.  Could you help us solve this issue?

 

Which of the shapes below is the odd one out and doesn’t fit well with the others?

a)         b)         c)         d)         e) 

 

First, we need to look for something that four of the shapes have in common.

All of the images are made up of a trapezium with an arrow cutting through the shape.

It is always a useful idea to look at direction in questions like this.

What do you notice about the direction that the arrow is pointing in each image?

In images a, c, d and e the arrow is pointing towards the same side of the trapezium (the short side), whereas in image b it is pointing to a different side (the long side).

This means that image b is the odd one out.

Don't be caught out by the two different types of line - these don't help you find the odd ONE out, as two of the images have shorter lines. Watch out for red herrings like this top detective! 


 

Let’s try another one together:

Which shape below is the odd one out?

a)         b)         c)         d)         e) 

 

First, we need to look for something that four of the shapes have in common.

In questions like this, counting is really important. What could we count?

We have two things to count here: the number of mini shapes and the number of sides of the main shape.

Image a is made up of a 3-sided shape with 3 crosses inside.

Image b is a 5-sided shape with 5 crosses inside.

Image c is a 4-sided shape with 4 crosses inside.

Image d is a 6-sided shape with 5 crosses inside.

Image e is a 4-sided shape with 4 crosses inside.

This means that image d is the odd one out as the number of sides of the main shape does not match the number of mini shapes inside, unlike the other options.

 


It’s now your turn to identify the odd image.

Remember to look at the direction and position of shapes within the image and always see if there is something you can count.

 

Good luck shape sorter!

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